Obit

March 5, 2007
After clearing Father Brennan Burke of murder charges in 2006's Sign of the Cross
, Canadian criminal lawyer Monty Collins helps the priest explore his father's history with the IRA in this fresh second installment of a three-part series. Before Monty, his family and Brennan leave Halifax for New York, where Brennan will officiate at the wedding of his niece, Brennan's brother Patrick sends him a cryptic obituary that appeared in a New York paper. Their father, Declan Burke, who fled Ireland 40 years earlier, understands it as a threat to his life, and sure enough, Declan is shot and wounded at the wedding. While Monty struggles with his own hopes of reconciling with his ex-wife, Brennan and his siblings search for the truth about their father's past and harbor suspicions that could shatter their large, tight-knit family. Emery tops her vivid story of past political intrigue that could destroy the present with a surprising conclusion.

Starred review from April 1, 2007
Canadian attorney Monty Collins brings his family to New York City to attend a wedding, where the bride's grandfather, Declan Burke, is shot and almost killed. The Burke siblings, led by Father Brennan Burke (first seen in "Sign of the Cross") and aided by Collins, begin a full-scale investigation into the assassination attempt. Their hunt uncovers Declan's years in the Irish Republican Army and raises questions of whether he remains active as a weapons supplier. Strong characters and a vivid depiction of Irish American family life make Emery's second mystery (in a projected trilogy) as outstanding as her first. The Irish Catholic flavor is reminiscent of Robert Daly's books and will appeal to his fans. Emery lives in Halifax, NS.

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.